Bernd Zimmermann and Susanne Pohlen’s New Colours Festival is now in its third year. The promoters – who also present the monthly series FineArtJazz – are determined to show that Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr does have interesting things to offer, and to gainsay its reputation as a town with a faded industrial heritage and an obsession with football.
The concerts tended towards the melodic and optimistic, and involved a very diverse group of acts. The programme cleverly managed to balance European visitors with bands from the local area, such as Wuppertal and Cologne. I attended the final two days – I heard great reports about the gigs the previous nights, including Yumi Ito, Pablo Caminero and Daniel Herskedal.
First I heard a concert in the foyer of the Musiktheater. Saxophonist Roger Hanschel, one of the father figures of the Cologne scene, with String Thing, a string quartet with flair and able to improvise. Swirling string sounds allowed Hanschel to soar above them.
The evening’s concert, in the museum of a local castle, Schloss Horst, had a spectacular backdrop of a beatifullly illumination and two carefully selected bands. Acoustics and p.a. were impeccable.
From Luxembourg, Dock In Absolute, now going for 10 years, has a generally positive approach, with the music by pianist Jean-Philippe Koch, though well integrated with the rest of the band. The developments of different hooks, and evolution therefrom were somewhat reminiscent of the Neil Cowley Trio. One of Jean-Philippe Koch’s extended solos showed a strong classicism reminding me of Ravel and French romantics. And none the worse for that. The only slower piece was dedicated to Koch’s daughter, Sofia. It would have been good to have had more like this.
The other band that night was the Danish band, Girls In Airports. I caught them in Garana in July, in an open air setting. Here they played music where we could closely appreciate the judicious sonics as well as melodies. They have recently reduced in size to a quartet, partly compensated by Martin Stender moving between saxophone and keyboard. And indeed, the percussion often had the feel of being a second front line instrument, and not just enhancing the rhythm section.
First gig on Sunday was the band FOXL from Cologne. In a lovely old cinema, it felt a bit like mellow krautrock fused with prog jazz and free improvisation! A lineup that was heavy on guitars (3), keyboard, bass and drums. The mesmerising ebb and flow of the music was heightened by kaleidoscopic visuals.
Second concert that day was in a modern art museum, Kunstraum Norten, newly converted from a 1960s supermarket. The singer-cellist Bison Rouge, from Berlin, managed to use loops and effects judiciously to give the textured foundation to her melodies and vocals. She drew us into her sound world.
What a contrast to the last band! In a church from the 1920s, now a concert venue, 500 people came to enjoy what was billed a ‘farewell party’ by the “in-yer face” Club de Belugas, coming from nearby Wuppertal. Calling themselves ‘nujazz’, they are a highly successful jazz-oriented party band, with a lot of lounge feel. Their Spotify plays are significantly north of 50 million. Catchy melodies and smart soloing got the crowds dancing in the aisles. So, a lively upbeat end to the festival. And hopefully giving hope for the festival’s continued success.
